De Lobos
by Sativaa
Summary: Alternate Universe to my main stories. A willful wolf cub and a cunning little vixen form an odd and unlikely friendship that slowly blossoms into something neither were expecting. Wild!Shiznat with a healthy dose of characters and OC's from the main stories.
1. Chapter 1

**DE LOBOS.**

 **(OF WOLVES)**

 **BY: PLATINUM KUSH**

 **PROLOGUE: OF SNOW**

 **REX (LATIN) "KING."**

 **REGINA (LATIN) "QUEEN."**

 **"Wolves don't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep."**

 **WOLVES.**

 **"With foxes we must play the fox."**

 **FOXES, THOMAS FULLER.**

 **[]**

The dark skies were heavy with the promise of a furious blizzard. All around the forest various creatures of all shapes and sizes were scurrying around searching for last minute supplies for their families.

The air was blistering cold and seemed to seep into even the thickest of pelts. The trees shook under the raging tempest, their precious leaves rattled and stolen by the breeze.

However, for a certain four-legged wild canine, the upcoming storm was the least of her worries. The cold winds made her eyes water and stung her nose. Her damp dark fur only seemed to make matters worse.

She took an involuntary dip in the river only moments ago. She'd been in hot pursuit of a rather fat hare and followed it across the frozen surface of the great river thinking it would've supported her weight.

It didn't.

She'd been sitting on the river bank sulking over her apparent extra weight and her lost kill when a series of howls pierced the cool night air. Her pack was calling, and she knew exactly why.

And now here she was, racing across the forest in the dead of night, desperately trying to return to camp for the birth of her and her mate's first pup.

She leaped over boulders and fallen trees, darted across ice cold streams, nearly fell into various dens that littered the forest floor much to their owner's dismay.

She cleared a narrow ravine in one magnificent leap. Powerful muscles rippled beneath a mass of long, impossibly black fur. Her green eyes were fixed straight ahead.

At last the towering sycamores overlooking the camp came into view. The young she-wolf slowed into a job; she had learned the consequences of barreling into camp full speed the hard way.

A beautiful she-wolf with a pelt seemingly forged from the embers of a dying sunrise was guarding the entrance. Her lime green eyes sparkled as she caught sight of the magnificent black leader.

"Wow, what happened to you?" She joked, her ears twitching in amusement, "Fancied a swim?"

The larger wolf purposely shook the excess water from her pelt when she came close enough, drawing forth a slight growl of irritation. "Honestly, Regan, you're still as mature as ever."

The young wolf snorted. "And my dear, Julia, you're still as condescending as ever."

Julia rolled her eyes as she ushered the young leader forward. "Stupid mutt, your queen awaits."

Regan affectionately swatted the smaller wolf with her tail and continued on inside. All around the massive clearing wolves of every shape and size, shade and color prowled about.

Pups played in the clearing while their parents chatted lazily amongst themselves. Adolescents boasted over who was the best hunter or fighter.

Older wolves complained about what the weather did to their old bones to young wolves who looked like they'd rather be elsewhere.

"Congratulations, my lord." A group of dark-furred she-wolves cried.

The young leader was immediately showered with compliments and well-wishes regarding her new family by her pack. They were just as excited as herself.

She made sure she was as dry as possible before entering the large den in the center of the massive clearing, fearing rebuke from her mate.

Saeko hated filth and would certainly chew her out for tracking dirt and mud into the spotless den.

Tail wagging like an excited pup's, Regan chirped softly to alert her mate of her return.

"Regan?" Her lovely voice caressed her ears, tinged with exhaustion but also heavy with emotion.

The smaller black she-wolf was curled up in the center of the den. Her fur stuck up in odd places all over her body. Half-lidded dove-grey eyes regarded her mate with such tenderness and joy.

"Come," She whispered, "Meet your daughter."

The new father practically tip-toed over she was so anxious. Saeko uncurled herself slightly, offering her mate a view of the precious little bundle of fur that was suckling from her mother.

She was a tiny thing. Her brown fur would probably darken or lighten depending on which genes she inherited. But since both of her parents had extremely dark fur, it was possible she would as well.

Regan lowered herself onto her belly and gently nosed her newborn pup, familiarizing herself with her scent and vice versa.

"What will we call her?" She asked softly.

Saeko leaned over and licked her mate's muzzle. "Natsuki."

Regan chuckled. "It's the middle of winter. Surely she deserves a name that represents her time of birth?"

Saeko's ears twitched. "Perhaps, but she looks like a Natsuki."

"She looks like a baby porcupine."

Saeko nipped Regan's jaw and giggled. Her newborn coat was soft and spiky. "I'm fine with whatever my Regina decides." The young Rex whispered.

"Then let us celebrate the birth of our future Rex, Natsuki."

 **[]**

A few kilometers away, a very different four-legged canine was also celebrating the birth of her new offspring. Deep inside a burrow, a young vixen was curled around her first litter of cubs.

There were three in total. Two females and a young male. Both females were nearly identical on first glance. But they had subtle differences regarding pelt color.

The oldest of the litter was the female with the creamy red pelt while her sister's was much paler, almost gold rather than its customary red. The male was the middle child.

And her honey-furred daughter was the runt of the litter.

Viola is a very clever vixen who's learned to use her mind-boggling intelligence to her advantage. Where she lacks in size and weight she made up for in perception and wit.

Her intellect was unrivaled, and she was known to other foxes as 'the Smartest Fox of Her Age.' Not even the smartest of the smartest could match her level of intelligence.

And she was as clever as she was cunning. She'd outsmarted many animals in her lifetime from troublesome humans, boisterous bears, cunning snow leopards, hard-to-catch prey, and even other foxes.

She was the lone daughter of a faceless tod and a mother whose untimely death came at the hands of her own foolishness. She was orphaned very young and had to rely on her wit to survive.

Foxes weren't big creatures by any means. They were the runts of the canine family; often overlooked and underestimated.

They often fell prey to much larger creatures such as bears, eagles, wolves, coyotes, cougars, badgers, and even dholes.

But Viola had mastered the art of survival at a young age. Which is why she was one of the only foxes in Yosemite National Park that was over three years of age. Most foxes tended to die young.

Shizuma was the name she decided for eldest cub. Little Shinnichi was the name of her lone son. And Shizuru was the name she chose for her final cub.

Shizuru was smaller than her siblings and her ears were thinner and more delicate. Her tail was far bushier than her brother and sister's, and her whiskers were pale instead of the customary black.

She knew Shizuru would be challenged in the coming years due to her too-light pelt and her smaller size, but being a fox wasn't about being the biggest or the strongest.

Being a fox was about always being the smartest creature in the vicinity. Shizuru's size wouldn't matter in the long run. She could either outrun a bear or outwit it.

She would never even entertain the notion of favoritism, but she couldn't help but believe that her little runt would surprise her more often than not.

Even blind and helpless, with her siblings using their bigger sizes to shove her out of the way she managed to crawl back and suckle. She was a feisty little thing.

Viola laid her head on her paws as the sound of the wind continued to rattle the trees, her intelligent amber eyes fixed on her little cubs. It would be up to her to raise and nurture them until they were old enough to do so themselves.

She would teach them to defend themselves, how to hunt, how to kill if they had too, and how to survive when she was dead or gone or both.

But the rest was up to them. For many animals it was Survival of the Fittest, but for a skulk of foxes it was Survival of the Smartest.

 **[]**

 **Went with Latin terms instead of the customary Greek "Alpha" and "Beta" because I find the Latin terms just as pretty. Hope you enjoy this miniseries.**


	2. Chapter 2

**DE LOBOS**

 **CHAPTER ONE: 'KING OF THE FOREST'**

 **BY: PLATINUM KUSH**

 **"The wolf may be strong. The fox may be cunning. The deer may be swift. And the tiger may be fierce. But I can fly."**

 **OWLS, PLATINUM KUSH**

 **[]**

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!"

Regan groaned as her excited little pup began furiously ramming her little head into her flank in an effort to rouse her from her peaceful slumber.

"Your daughter is awake," Saeko teased tiredly from her place curled up against her mate's side.

Little paws began prodding her flesh as Natsuki climbed onto her back and began tugging on her ears. "Daddy, you promised to take me to see the waterfall today." Natsuki whined, yelping as she lost her balance and tumbled onto the cavern floor.

"Five more minutes," The older she-wolf groaned.

"Daddy," Natsuki whined again when her father's eyes closed once more. She stamped her little paw and flattened her ears.

She backed away slowly until her rump was pressed against the cave wall opposite of her slumbering parents.

She growled softly to herself and surged forward with the intent of further ramming her skull into her father's massive head, but she wasn't expecting the older she-wolf to suddenly roll over onto her back.

She ended up charging past her and found herself barrelling head-first into a small hole hidden by moss and nitre. She tried to wiggle herself out but found she her head was stuck!

"Daddy, help I'm stuck!" Natsuki cried.

Saeko laughed at her pup's silliness. She rose and stretched her long, agile limbs before padding over and tugging on Natsuki's tail to free her. When she did so, she latched onto the scruff of her neck and lifted her up like the tiny mass of fluff she was.

She deposited her on her drowsy mate's belly. "She won't leave you alone until you wake up, you know." Saeko whispered, fondly watching her daughter bounce up and down, practically pulsating with excitement.

A gorgeous green eye popped open and mock glared at the rowdy little pup. Natsuki's eyes were nearly identical to her own, and her pelt had begun to darken, already losing its newborn shades. She'd grow into her paws and ears eventually.

"Alright, alright, I'm up." The young leader said. She too stood up and stretched. "Did you brush your teeth?"

Natsuki looked uncertain. "Yes!"

"Brush." Regan commanded gently. Natsuki rolled her eyes and darted to the corner of the cave and took a peppermint leaf into her jaws and chewed it a bit before spitting it out.

"Okay, I'm done!" She cried.

"You missed a spot." Regan pointed to a random place on her chest.

Natsuki giggled. "Daddy, I don't have teeth on my chest."

"You're not going to have any in your mouth if you don't brush properly either. _Brush_." Regan repeated as her mate brought over a few leaves and a tough bit of deer flesh for her teething pup to chew on.

Natsuki chewed the leaf properly and bared her fangs at her parents. "See, all clean." She said before making an effort to sprint out of the cave, only for her mother to scoop her up yet again.

Saeko set the pup on her big paws and began her morning grooming. Natsuki groaned in frustration and went limp against her mother's chest. "Playing dead won't make it go any faster, Natsuki."

"Rabbits!" Natsuki cursed, earning a reprimanding nip from her mother.

"Where on earth did you hear that kind of language?" Saeko demanded.

"From daddy and grandpa!"

Regan froze in her own ministrations of freshening up and vigorously shook her head as Saeko fixed her with a glare sharp enough to make a grizzly sulk.

"Come on, Natsuki, we're going to be late." Regan said quickly as she cautiously licked her unimpressed queen on the cheek before scurrying out of the den with her little pup in tow.

It had snowed rather harshly during the night and the mounds of frost went up to Regan's elbows. Natsuki went barrelling through it, undeterred.

"Natsuki, you look like a badger mole." Regan chuckled.

The pup emerged on the other side where the snow wasn't quite as high, absolutely drenched with frost. "Badger moles aren't as cool as me." Her nose twitched. "And they stink."

It was still very early in the morning and many wolves had yet to arise. Only a few early risers were milling about and enthusiastically greeted the Rex and the future Rex. Julia was one of the morning wolves.

She was hunched over a hare with her young pup, Nao. Nao was only a day or two younger than Natsuki. Her brown puppy fur was starting to shed as well and promised a pelt as fiery and red as her mother's.

"Grr," Natsuki said, fixing the red pup with a glare, "Look daddy, the spider's awake."

Nao was awarded the nickname 'spider' because of her tolerance for the creepy crawlers whereas other wolves were determined to stay as far away from them as possible. And her claws were about as long and sharp as a mountain lion's.

"Hey, Nao!"

"Mutt - _omph_!"

Unable to find traction on the slippery ground, Natsuki ended up barrelling into her friend, sending them both tumbling into a snowy dune.

Julia barked out a laugh while Regan fondly shook her head as the two pups began wrestling. At this rate, the waterfall would be dead and gone long before they arrived.

"You're not usually up before the sun," Julia said to Regan, "What's the occasion?"

"I promised Natsuki I would take her to the waterfall."

"How sweet. Kushina was supposed to take Nao hunting the other day, but was too tired." Julia said, referring to her mate who possessed a pelt as red and fiery as her own.

"Nao can come along with us if she likes." Regan offered, flashing her friend a thankful glance as she offered some of the hare she'd been eating to both black she-wolves.

"Nao, do you want to go with Natsuki and Regan to the waterfall?" Julia asked the young red pup, who was patiently sitting on Natsuki's head.

"But dad's taking me hunting later." Nao protested.

"You'll be back way before then." Regan informed her, taking a hefty bite.

"I guess I'll go then." Nao said.

Both pups were about five weeks old and had only just begun eating meat. After eating their share the two pups and the young Rex went on their way.

 **[]**

Viola watched as her three cubs romped around in the snow, a thoughtful expression on her canine face. Shinnichi and Shizuma had formed a temporary alliance and were currently harassing their baby sister.

Shizuru, however, was not to be deterred. She was very slender and had long, spider-like limbs despite still being a young cub. But she was as quick as a rabbit and smart as a chimp.

"Stop moving!" Her brother growled in frustration as he once again tried to pin his elusive sister.

"Isn't the whole point of this game to not be touched?" Shizuru asked innocently as she leaped onto a boulder and regarded her siblings with cunning red eyes.

"Yeah," He plopped back on his haunches, exhausted, "But you're just _chicken_."

"And you're just slow." Shizuru retorted as she easily side-stepped her sister, who was trying to ambush her from behind, but Shizuru heard her coming miles away.

Shizuma ended up leaping off the edge of the boulder and landing right on top of their brother. Viola barked out a humorous laugh. So far, Shizuru had won every single game they played and her older cubs were being sore losers.

"Mom, Shizuru's cheating!" Shin cried, shoving his sister off with a pointed glare. She wasn't exactly the lightest thing on the planet.

Viola's ears twitched. "Ara, I was watching the entire time and I saw no such thing."

Shizuru giggled and dived into the snow, showering her siblings in the thick white frost.

"Mother, can we go now?" Shizuma asked. "I'm hungry."

"Ara, I was waiting for you all." Viola said, rising from her perch on the splintered trunk of a fallen tree. She had promised to take her lot to waterfall to teach them to fish and they were all extremely excited.

The skulk slowly made their way through the frost-ridden forest with the two older cubs trudging through the snow while their sister took a more creative approach. She used to boulders and fallen trees as makeshift stepping stones.

Shin was watching her thinking he should've thought of that and involuntarily walked face first into a small rather harshly. Rattled by the sudden impact, a nut fell on his head, much to a certain avian's dismay.

"Who goes there?" A posh voice sounded high above the ground and family stopped in their tracks. They were more than suprised as a big, golden-eyed owl stared right back at them from his perch on a branch.

"An owl awake during the day?" Viola now had seen it all. Foxes were normally nocturnal creatures, but it was much too cold during the night to be frolicking in the water and snow.

"I am no mere owl," the horned-owl replied with an arrogant tilt of his head. "I am the king of the forest. Reito at your service." He bowed dramatically with an outstretched wing.

"Let's eat him!" Shin cried as he and his sister went to dog pile the young bird. Reito squealed and flew over to Shizuru who seemed like the less dangerous of the three. He hid behind her tail and glared at her siblings.

"Savages," He said, appalled.

"Ara, I apologize for my cubs' behavior." Viola said, pointedly glaring at her charges.

"A pleasure to meet you, owl-san." Shizuru said, politely holding out her paw. Reito did an owl's version of a smile and touched her paw with his wing.

"Finally, an animal with manners. The pleasure is all mine, my dear." He replied. "So, what brings you all to my domain?"

"Your domain?" Shizuma said incredulously.

Reito glared at her as he plucked out a stray feather. "Yes, if you must know, I am _king_ of this forest."

"Says who?" Shin asked.

"Says nature! Do you not see my crown?" He pointed to the top of his head. "Nature has spoken. No other animal possesses as such."

"I bet all the wolves, bears, cougars, coyotes, and humans beg to differ." Shizuma replied. Shizuru giggled.

"You still haven't told us why an owl is up parading about in the daytime." Shizuru pointed out as she sat and folded her tail neatly around her little paws.

"If you must know," Reito sniffed pointedly through his beak, "My future mate is a mammal who prefers the light of day, although he doesn't usually wake until long after sunrise."

"Future mate? Mammal? You do realize you're a bird, right?" Shin said.

"I am a great horned-owl." Reito snapped, making a show of turning his head around in a full 360 degree motion. "And king of the forest. I can have whomever I please."

"Ara, well," Viola interjected, "Since your 'mate' has yet to awaken, would you like to accompany my cubs and I to the waterfall for breakfast."

Reito thought for a moment. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. All of his friends were nocturnal, and he had quite some time to kill before night arrived. He nodded. "I suppose."

The horned-owl flapped his wings a few times to get airborne and then pointedly settled himself comfortably on Shizuru's back, carefully holding on with his talons but also taking care not to penetrate her soft pelt.

"Onward, peasant." He barked, pointing straight ahead with his large black wing.

Shizuru's eyes twinkled. "As you wish, _your majesty_." She said before putting all her power into her hind legs for a quick, merciless take-off that left the 'king of the forest' yelping and held on for dear life.

 **[]**

 ** _Feedback? I sincerely enjoy reading all of your lovely reviews. Next chapter of Smoke and Mirrors should be up sometime tomorrow evening._**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed._**

 ** _Our furry little heroes meet for the first time next chapter._**


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